Portable folding boat.



I P. J. MURPHY. PORTABLE FOLDING BOAT. APPLICATION FILED MAR.18

Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Tn: NORRIS PETERS co., wnsnmawu, o c.

P. J. MURPHY.

PORTABLE FOLDING BOAT.

APPLIOATION FILED mums, 190s.

Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

Q i y A972 I 7y 7H5 nomus PETERS cm, wAsHmamu, o. c

PAUL J. MURPHY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

PORTABLE FOLDING- BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

Application filed March 13, 1908. Serial No. 420,848.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, PAUL J. MURPHY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of l-lennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PortableFolding Boats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved portable foldingboat, especially adapted for use in hunting and other similar purposeswhere compactness and lightness are essential for convenience inhandling the boat, when making portages or in shipment to the pointdesired.

To these ends, my invention consists of the novel devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein likereferences refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of the boat, with the parts inworking position, some portions being broken away and others shown insection. Fig. 2 is a detail in longitudinal section, showing the ointbetween the body and one of the end sections of one of the hulls. Fig. 3is a side elevation, with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1,some parts being broken away. Fig. 4 is a cross section, on the line areof Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the box-like folding frame inits folded position, or as required for housing the hulls and workingparts; and Fig. 6 is a cross section, on the line :0 r of Fig. 5.

The numerals 1 and 2 represent, respectively, the body and end portionsof a pair of hollow hulls preferably made of light galvanized iron, butwhich may be made of other suitable material. The body portions 1 areshown as composed of closed cylinders, and the end sections 2 are shownas composed of hollow cones which are detachably connected to the endsof the cylinders 1 by screw-threaded oints 3, or other suitable means,and are adapted, when reversed, to telescope within said cylinders 1outward of the cylinder heads or closures 4. The cylinder heads orclosures 4 are of conical form and are mounted with their small endspointing inward; and hence the conical end sections 2 of the hulls can,when reversed, be telescoped therein so as thereby to considerablyshorten the length of the hulls when in packing position. ()ne of theend sections 2 of the hulls is shown in this reversed or packingposition, in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The special reason for providingthe cylinders 1 with the tight heads or closures 4 is to make the samewater-tight independently of the character of the joint between the hullsections 1 and 2.

The numeral 5 represents a box-like folding frame, of a little greaterlength than the hull cylinders 1, and formed in two longitudinalsections abutting and connected by the hinges 6. When the frame is inits open position, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, it is rigidly connectedto the hull cylinders 1, with the latter suitably spaced apart from eachother, by means of bearing blocks 7 fixed to said cylinders by sheetiron straps 8, or other suitable means, and detachably con nected to thebottom of said box-like frame by thumb nut screw bolts 9.

The numerals 9%; represent a pair of draw tie rods which, when the frameis in its open position, are passed through all the sideboards of theframe section and drawn up tight by the thumb nuts applied to thescrewthreaded ends of the same, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 and whichserve to rigidly hold the frame sections in their open position and toprevent any buckling thereof on their hinge joints.

The numeral 10 represents a seating board detachably secured to theside-boards of the frame section and serving as a seat for the oarsmenor other occupants of the boat, and also to assist in bracing the framesections in their open position.

A pair of oarlocks 11 are hinged one to each side of the folding frame5, the oarlocks 11 are held in their upright position by brace rods 12.

It must be obvious that, when the parts are rigidly connected together,as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, they form a catamaran adapted to bepropelled by oars 13 in the hands of one or more oarsmen seated on thecross-board 10. Said oars 13 are held in working position by theoarlocks 11.

To pack the parts for portage, shipment or storage; the frame isseparated from the hulls; the tie rods 9%- are withdrawn and the seatingboard 10 detached and these parts placed within one section of theframe; the oar-lock braces detached and laid down in one section of theframe and the oar-locks permitted to fold downward and inward againstthe sides of the frame the end sections of the hulls are detached,reversed and telescoped within the hull cylinders, and the telescopedhulls placed within one of the box-like frame sections and boltedthereto, if desired, with the oars in the spaces between the hulls, oneabove and one below the same; and the two sections of the box-like frameare then folded together and locked by hook 14, thereby bringing all theparts into the position shown in Fig. 6. The frame is enough longer thanthe hull cylinders 1 to receive the hulls when the end sections 2 aretelescoped in the cylinders 1. The working parts will all thus be packedwithin a box-like case of comparatively small size adapted to beconveniently handled for portage, shipment or storage.

The frame 5, the bearing blocks 7, and the cross-board or seat 10 areall preferably made of wood. As before stated, the hulls are preferablyof thin galvanized iron. Hence the whole structure is comparativelylight, and of a form affording great buoyancy when the parts are inworking position for use as ,a catamaran. It will, however, beunderstood that all the parts might be made of other suitable material.For example, the hulls might be made of papier-mach.

What I claim is 1. A portable folding boat, comprising a body portionand a pair of hulls secured thereto, in the form of hollow cylindershaving inwardly projecting conical seats and detachable outwardlyprojecting conical ends, which latter when turned inward are adapted tobe contained within said conical seats, substantially as described.

2. In a portable folding boat, the combina tion with a folding box-likeframe adapted to house the hulls and the working parts when detached andplaced therein, of a pair of hulls each composed of a hollow cylinderhaving detachable and reversible coneshaped end sections adapted totelescope therein, when reversed, to reduce the housing length of thehulls the bodies of which are of less length than said box-like frame,substantially as described.

3. In a portable folding boat, the combination with a pair of hulls, ofa folding boxlike frame formed in two longitudinal sections hingedtogether, a cross-board detachably securable to the frame sections forrigidly holding the same in their open position and affording a seat forthe oarsmen, and means for detachably connecting the open frame to thesaid hulls to form a catamaran, and said frame being adapted to housethe hulls and the working parts when detached and placed therein and theframe sections are folded together, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the closed hull cylinders 1 having thedetachable conical end sections 2 adapted, when reversed, to telescopetherein, the box-like folding frame composed of the two longitudinalsections 5 hinged together, the tie rods 9%, the crossboard 10, thebearing blocks 7, straps 8 and bolts 9, the folding oar-lock 11 andbraces 12, all for cooperation, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PAUL J. MURPHY.

Witnesses H, D. KILGORE, M. E. RQNEY.

